Doctor Strange 2’s Trailer Makes Loki’s Kang Reveal More Confusing

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness recently released its second trailer; however, this only made Loki’s inclusion of He Who Remains, a variant of Kang the Conqueror, more confusing. In the new Multiverse of Madness trailer, Doctor Strange was handcuffed and arrested for crimes against the multiverse. He was then brought before a mysterious council, which seemed to be led by Patrick Stewart’s Professor X. Although this tribunal was not identified in the Doctor Strange 2 trailer, many viewers believe that it was the MCU’s Illuminati.

In Marvel Comics, the Illuminati was a secret organization of superheroes who protected the world by shaping major events. Each founding member represented a different superhuman group. For example, Ironman led the Avengers, Reed Richards led the Fantastic Four, and Professor Xavier led the X-Men. In addition, Namor was king of Atlantis, and Black Bolt was king of the Inhumans. Doctor Strange was even a member of the Illuminati, acting as the Sorcerer Supreme. With so many influential members, the Illuminati were able to secretly coordinate their respective superhero teams to best defend Earth. If the mysterious group in the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness trailer was the Illuminati, this would mark their first live-action appearance and their entrance to the MCU.

However, the Illuminati’s purpose in the MCU conflicts with the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Based on the Multiverse of Madness trailer, the MCU’s Illuminati is responsible for protecting the entire multiverse rather than only their own world, which would explain why they arrested Doctor Strange. The MCU already has an organization to preserve the Sacred Timeline within the multiverse though: the TVA. Introduced in Loki, the TVA was founded by He Who Remains, a scientist who discovered the multiverse and accidentally sparked the Multiversal War when his variant, Kang the Conqueror, tried to take over other universes. The TVA was meant to eliminate any threats to the multiverse, but it lost control after Sylvie, a Loki variant, killed He Who Remains. Considering how similar the Illuminati’s and the TVA’s goals are, this raises questions about the two organizations’ interactions and the roles of Loki and Sylvie in Doctor Strange 2.

Given that the MCU’s Illuminati and the TVA both watch over the multiverse, it seems like the organizations must be aware of each other’s presence. In Loki, He Who Remains was nearly omniscient, having scripts for all events throughout the Sacred Timeline. If the MCU’s version of the Illuminati guards the multiverse, then it seems logical that they would know about the TVA’s activities. On the surface, this may suggest that the two groups should oppose each other, given that they seem to take different approaches to solving multiversal problems. However, the Illuminati and the TVA share the same goal. Both want to protect the multiverse, so they may be more likely to support each other’s work even if they do not agree with their methods.

In addition, there have already been rumors about Loki and Sylvie appearing in Doctor Strange 2. The presence of the Illuminati in the Multiverse of Madness trailer may make this more likely. At the end of Loki, Sylvie killed He Who Remains, unleashing the multiverse and potentially Kang the Conqueror. Although Loki tried to convince Sylvie not to kill him, Loki still helped Sylvie find He Who Remains in his Citadel at the End of Time. If the Illuminati learned that Loki and Sylvie were responsible for killing He Who Remains and damaging the multiverse, it would make sense for the council to arrest the tricksters along with Doctor Strange. In this way, although the Illuminati and the TVA may initially seem to conflict with each other as two secret organizations that preserve the multiverse, they are more likely to indirectly support each other’s activities in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.